7-8 August 2022
Teluk Intan is an easy 2-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. An early start, say at 8am via the North-South Expressway exiting at Sungkai will get you to Teluk Intan in time for a late breakfast just after 10am.
Kafe Xin Asia is a good choice as it has many stalls offering a wide range of local food and drinks, including the town’s one-of-its-kind chee cheong fun (CCF).
Teluk Intan is also famous for its ‘heong beng’ (fragrant pastries) – Chinese traditional biscuit with a crispy outer layer filled with soft malt paste.
We stopped at the confectionary shops not once but twice, and never once left empty handed. Seeing the variety available brought back memories of long forgotten biscuits we used to enjoy as a child.
Of the 3 brands – Butterfly, Tiger Head and Chin Lian Hoe, Tiger Head is known for its softer texture and not-too-sticky filling.
Butterfly on the other hand, has a harder crust and is less sweet.
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Tiger Head ‘heong peah‘ is available in loose pieces / individually packed. There is also the ‘kosong’ variant – crispy shells and crumbly flakes without the sweet filling.
Refilled and recharged, it was time to see the historical offerings of Teluk Intan, starting with its most famous attraction located at a large square in the middle of two bustling streets.
Teluk Intan Leaning Tower (TILT)
Originally built to house a water tank, Menara Condong’s accidental rise to fame and comparison to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is due to an obvious tilt.
Erected in 1885 during the British administration, the architecture style of the 25m (82ft) clocktower is distinctly Chinese.
The external facade resembles an 8-storey pagoda, while in actual fact, there are only 3 levels.
The water tank (now empty) is located on the 3rd floor with a clock at the top.
A must-see for all visitors to Teluk Intan, today it functions as clocktower that chimes every 15 minutes.
Visitors can expect to
– climb 110 steps to the 3rd floor
– feel the tilting floor
– see water tank / huge pendulums
Entrance Fee : RM5 /pax
The tower started to tilt four years after completion, due to the soft soil, weight of the water in the tank and the presence of an underground stream.
Heritage Landmarks
The former Police Station, is one of the oldest building in the town center.
Cattle egrets, common and plentiful, are seen foraging at a nearby field.
Once the official residence of The Raja Muda of Perak, the Ruins of Raja Muda’s Palace looks hauntingly forlorn and sad.
The St. Anthony of Padua is a Roman Catholic church with a convent school next to it.
As the biggest Riverside Playground, facilities include outdoor gym, barbecue site and picnic area for the public.
I really like this ‘Anti-Littering’ message 🤣
Teluk Intan chee cheong fun (CCF)
Stuffed with fried turnip and dried shrimp, the soft-boiled CCF is served dry with green chili pickles, unlike the traditional Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun.
According to reviews, Liew Kee (Ah Lek) has the best CCF though it is expensive at RM8 each. Housed in an unassuming wooden shack, we were there promptly at 5.30pm to pick up our orders. I managed a quick peek of the kitchen just before a queue started to form as we left.
Nb. Liew Kee opens from 5.30pm and only does takeaways.
Five minutes later at the jetty, we savoured the still-warm legendary CCF. It was the perfect snack to keep hunger at bay, in lieu of a late dinner following a sunset cruise on Sungai Perak.
Click to read at Teluk Intan Birdwatching Cruise.
After dinner, we swung by Sam Siew Yeh for more CCF tasting.
Verdict : Liew Kee (Ah Lek) wins hands down.
Anti Clockwise from top left : breakfast (Kafe Xin Asia) pre-dinner (Liew Kee) and supper (Sam Siew Yeh)
Seeing the leaning tower at night is a must-do. Standing out like a beacon that is hard to miss, I noticed the clock changes colour when we got closer.
The night view is very different. I have included the daytime shot for comparison.
The next day, the food hunt started with breakfast at the market stalls, followed by a second breakfast at Hawayi which opens from 10.30am – 5.00pm.
Popular dishes are mee rebus, assam laksa, nasi lemak including a wide range of local desserts like lo hon kuo, cendol & ais kacang (ABC).
Our food hunt would not be complete without visiting usual haunts such as Starbucks, Family Mart and CU.
Our wanderings brought us to another part of the river for a final riverside walk.
Teluk Intan is a town in Hilir Perak District, Perak, Malaysia. It is the district capital and largest town in Hilir Perak district and third largest town in the state of Perak with an estimated population of around 120,000, or about half of Hilir Perak district's total population (232,900). Source : Wikipedia
phoenixtrails.home.blog 
hi
whisch is a good hotel to stay in Teluk Intan?
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Hi Lin, thank you for reaching out.
We stayed at Rivertel, a no-frills-hotel which checked all the boxes
– basic with modern comforts
– efficient Wifi & power sockets (for charging devices)
– Complimentary parking
– Strategic location (10 mins to town centre, 5 mins to commercial areas)
– Easy check-in / check-out
Have a good trip yourself!
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